Thinking too much is not good
(Vinod Anand)

Imagine a one-year-old child who is still not able to stand on her feet. This child could think about her future and could well believe that she won’t be able to walk. Although she may be seeing adults walking, she could think that they are so big and she is so small; she cannot even stand up, then how can she hope to walk?

Although her parents may tell her that she will grow up naturally and will definitely be able to stand and walk and run, she could harbour all kinds of doubts and refuse to believe them. Such a “thinking child” could also find comfort in lying around and being taken care of by family members.

Besides, she may not see any need to make the effort to stand up and take the consequent risk of frilling. In essence, she could ask, “Why should I stand up when I don’t see any reason to give up lying down?”

Fortunately, children at the age of one year hardly think, and certainly do not think along the lines as above! We know that the child grows in a natural y and develops over a period of time the ability to stand up, walk and run. Of course, the child is prompted by her own biological nature to keep trying.

Though she falls often in the beginning, she succeeds in due course of time. During this growing up phase, she also gets help from her family members who encourage her, give her Support, leave her without support off and n, letting her fail and then rise again. But, when it comes to us adults in the context of spiritual progress, we unnecessarily think too much, like the imaginary child described in the first two paragraphs above!

We find a comfort zone in the worldly life and see no need to bother about spirituality. Even when some of us start seeing some need for spirituality and develop interest in it, we tend to peep too far into the future and harbour all kinds of doubts about the chances of attaining the spiritual goals. We ask all kinds of questions based on our conditioned thinking and generally find it very difficult to accept spirituality as a worthwhile pursuit.

We do have help available from scriptures and other spiritual literature, as also affirmations by those who have attained and experienced the spiritual goals. But our thinking mind remains in disbelief. That is the reason why we find it impossible to accept that desires can be controlled, that vairagya bhav can be established, that ego can be overcome, that bodily identity can be discarded, that living in the moment is possible, that it is possible to engage in action without bothering about its outcome, etc.

Only a few, who are under the divine grace, get the gift of faith from the divine. Like a child who has no prior conditioning, such a blessed seeker starts with a clean slate, not allowing his past worldly conditioning to interfere in his spiritual contemplation and pursuit. Ho keeps himself open to wherever his spiritual pursuit will lead to. Faith in the divine is his guide.

Then, at the appropriate time, he meets his sadhguru who takes charge of his spiritual pursuits and guides him further till he attains the ultimate spiritual goal. This may even take more than one lifetime. But the sadhguru does not abandon his disciple until the latter attains liberation.

Author's Bio: 

VINOD K.ANAND: A BRIEF PROFILE

Born in 1939, and holding Master’s Degree both in Mathematics (1959) and Economics (1961), and Doctorate Degree in Economics (1970), Dr. Vinod K.Anand has about forty five years of teaching, research, and project work experience in Economic Theory (both micro and macro), Quantitative Economics, Public Economics, New Political Economy, and Development Economics with a special focus on economic and social provisions revolving around poverty, inequality, and unemployment issues, and also on informal sector studies. His last assignment was at the National University of Lesotho (Southern Africa) from 2006 to 2008. Prior to that he was placed as Professor and Head of the Department of Economics at the University of North-West in the Republic of South Africa, and University of Allahabad in India, Professor at the National University of Lesotho, Associate Professor at the University of Botswana, Gaborone in Botswana, and at Gezira University in Wad Medani, Sudan, Head, Department of Arts and Social Sciences, Yola in Nigeria, Principal Lecturer in Economics at Maiduguri University in Nigeria, and as Lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Nigeria. Professor Anand has by now published more than 80 research papers in standard academic journals, authored 11 books, supervised a number of doctoral theses, was examiner for more than twenty Ph.D. theses, and has wide consultancy experience both in India and abroad, essentially in the African continent. This includes holding the position of Primary Researcher, Principal Consultant etc. in a number of Research Projects sponsored and funded by Universities, Governments, and International Bodies like, USAID, IDRC, and AERC. His publications include a variety of themes revolving around Economic Theory, New Political Economy, Quantitative Economics, Development Economics, and Informal Sector Studies. His consultancy assignments in India, Nigeria, Sudan, Botswana, and the Republic of South Africa include Non-Directory Enterprises in Allahabad, India, Small Scale Enterprises in the Northern States of Nigeria, The Absolute Poverty Line in Sudan, The Small Scale Enterprises in Wad Medani, Sudan, Micro and Small Scale Enterprises in Botswana, The Place of Non-Formal Micro-Enterprises in Botswana, Resettlement of a Squatter Community in the Vryburg District of North West Province in the Republic of South Africa, Trade and Investment Development Programme for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises: Support for NTSIKA in the Republic of South Africa, and Development of the Manufacturing Sector in the Republic of South Africa’s North West Province: An Approach Based on Firm Level Surveys. Professor Anand has also extensively participated in a number of conferences, offered many seminars, participated in a number of workshops, and delivered a variety of Refresher Lectures at different venues both in India and abroad. Dr. Anand was placed at the prestigious Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla in the State Himachal Pradesh, India as a Fellow from 2001 to 2003, and had completed a theoretical and qualitative research project/monograph on the Employment Profile of Micro Enterprises in the State of Himachal Pradseh, India.